Collateral Damage Daily for August 6

Donnie Murphy is dealing with a left hamstring strain and is day-to-day. Ö Colby Rasmus strained his groin over the weekend and is day-to-day. Ö Elvis Andrus came out of yesterdayís game with shoulder soreness but is only expected to miss a day or two. Ö Willie Bloomquist remaine out of the lineup with low back soreness, but he is not expected to need a trip to the DL. Ö Henry Blancoís x-rays were normal, but there is still concern for a torn ligament. Heís scheduled to have an MRI in the next few days, and a DL trip seems possible. Ö Josh Beckett is expected to return on Wednesday.

Additions

Lance Berkman was placed on the 15-day DL Friday with right knee inflammation. This right knee kept him out for 55 days when he was recovering from meniscus surgery earlier in the season, and now heíll likely miss several more weeks. Coming back from surgery can be difficult; usually, the most difficult part is getting the muscles balanced afterward. Without balance, players can sustain strains and inflammation. A hit by pitch set Berkmanís inflammation in motion, and his body could not compensate and settle it down in time. He has to improve his strength and motion, which can take time.

Berkman could return a little over the minimum. We should know more toward the end of the week. Shane Robinson was called up from Memphis to take Berkmanís roster spot.

Matt Garza will be headed to the disabled list with a strained triceps muscle. Garza insisted that he would be able to make his start on Tuesday, but the Cubs do not appear to agree. Garza felt stiffness in his most recent bullpen session and will be examined by doctors again within the next few days. The move will be retroactive to July 22, meaning heís actually eligible to return today. Pitchers usually need six weeks to recover from strained triceps, which would put him out until the end of August.

Seth Smith was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained left hamstring. Outfielders average almost a month on the DL, but the Athletics havenít provided an expected return date for Smith. Smith did walk off the field under his own power, but sometimes looks can be deceiving. Michael Taylor was called up to replace Smith on the roster.

Francisco Cordero was placed on the DL with sesamoiditis in his right foot, which could cost him the rest of the season. Heís going to visit the doctor this week to get a better idea of how long heís going to be out of commission. Jeff Keppinger had a similar condition and was able to return in just 15 days, but he never fully healed and had to have surgery in the offseason, which kept him out for about four months. Cordero likely wonít follow down the same path, but heís going to visit with the doctors to make sure. Mickey Storey was called up to take the roster spot.

Christian Friedrich was placed on the 15-day DL with a stress fracture in his low back, which will keep him out for the rest of the year. Friedrich was first pushed back because of general soreness, but then his bullpen session on Friday didnít go so well. An MRI revealed the stress fracture, so the Rockies placed him on the DL, retroactive to July 29. The average time lost for these are two months, so the Rockies arenít taking any chances with their former first-rounder. Edgmer Escalona was called up to take Friedrichís roster spot.

Emilio Bonifacio sprained his surgically-repaired thumb and was placed on the DL, jeopardizing his season. X-rays were negative, and heís set to see his thumb surgeon this week. Repeat injuries this close to surgery often result in fairly significant loss of time. Bonifacio will see the surgeon today or tomorrow, at which point we should get a much better idea of how long he will be out.

Carlos Ruiz was placed on the 15-day DL with a partial tear of the plantar fascia of his left foot over the weekend. The move is retroactive August 3, but what started as plantar fasciitis over the last week developed into a partial tear, which will keep him out about four to six weeks. Inflammation, especially chronic in nature, can lead to structural weakening of the area. One misstep or stretch can cause a tear. Ruiz should recover, but this area will be prone to similar injuries in the future. Hector Luna was called up to take the roster spot.

Michael Cuddyer was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained right oblique after the soreness didnít resolve over the course of a few days. Cuddyer injured the oblique while running after hitting double on Tuesday. For first basemen, the average time for oblique strains is a little over three weeks missed, but Cuddyer expects to be ready when eligible on August 16. Matt McBride was called up to take his roster spot.

Ryan Raburn was placed on the disabled list retroactive to August 1 with a sprained right thumb. These injuries average about a month missed, and considering how poorly he was playing before the injury, the Tigers will probably keep Raburn on the DL for a while to get his timing back. Danny Worth was called up to take Raburnís roster spot.

Jonathan Sanchez was placed on the 15-day DL with a recurrent bout of left biceps tendinitis. This is now the third time in three years that Sanchezís biceps tendon has necessitated a trip to the DL, so there has to be concern that something else is going on. Heís going to be examined by the doctors and will then start his physical therapy to calm the inflammation and strengthen the area. Heís not eligible to return until August 19.

A.J. Griffin was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained right shoulder after having to come out of his start on Saturday with tightness in his right shoulder. An MRI ruled out any structural damage, but the Athletics didnít think Griffin was going to be back in time. Even though he only missed about a week in college with something similar, the Athletics want to make sure he comes back healthy and productive. It sounds like Griffin will only miss the minimum.

Subtractions

Even though Frank Francisco was activated from the disabled list, it doesnít necessarily mean heís healthy. He spent 42 days on the disabled list with a strained oblique muscle, but he recently admitted heís also dealing with a latissimus injury, but itís not as severe as the injury in 2010 when he missed over two months with a strained lat. This does bear monitoring because even minor soreness can lead to compensation injuries or sub-optimal performance.

Andy Dirks was activated from the disabled list after spending two months recovering from Achilles tendinitis. In a corresponding move, Don Kelly was designated for assignment.